1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for judging a level of deterioration of target-specific probes immobilized on a substrate, and a level of changes in a probe-bearing substrate including changes in a protective member protecting the probe or the like, a probe-bearing substrate having a device effective for judging changes in the probe-bearing substrate including changes in the protective member, and a system for judging changes in a probe-bearing substrate including changes in the protective member.
2. Related Background Art
An example of the probe-bearing substrate is a DNA chip. The DNA chip is a high-density chip in which a plurality of DNA fragments or oligonucleotides that are useful for simultaneous analysis of genetic expression, mutation or polymorphism are arranged and immobilized as probes on a solid surface. For example there have been disclosed a solid-phase oligonucleotide array prepared by a photolithographic method (U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,642) and a method for producing a solid-phase DNA probe array by an ink jet method (WO95/25116).
A process for detecting a target substance generally includes a hybridization reaction to cause binding between the target substance labeled with a fluorescent material etc. and a target-specific probe on the solid probe array. Such a hybridization reaction is achieved by contacting or immersing the solid probe array in a solution containing the target substance applying heat. The reaction conditions such as the concentration of the solution and reaction temperature may vary according to the combination of the probe and the target substance. Then, whether binding between the probe and the target substance has occurred or not is observed using an apparatus such as a fluorescence detector.